Story so far: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has recently intensified its efforts to highlight the potential adverse effects of the Andhra Pradesh government’s Polavaram Dam project on the tribal communities of Odisha’s Malkangiri district. A delegation comprising Rajya Sabha members of BJD submitted a new memorandum to the Central Water Commission (CWC), Ministry of Tribal Affairs, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes and Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. The study of ‘one-way’ changes in the design of the project has not been done.
What is the status of the project?
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu has promised to complete the Polavaram project on the Godavari river by 2027 as the inter-state dispute, mainly between Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh, has entered a critical phase. The central government has assured to provide Rs 15,000 crore to complete the project in this year’s budget.
However, the BJD alleged that the CWC had refused to conduct a backwater study for the revised design flood, despite the recommendations of experts and the concerns of the Odisha government regarding the safety of the tribal population. The BJD argued that various studies, including those by the Andhra Pradesh government and the CWC, showed different estimates for the level of inundation. “A backwater study by AP in 2009 indicated that a 50-lakh cusec flood would inundate Odisha up to 216 feet, much higher than the originally accepted maximum of 174.22 feet. A report by IIT Roorkee in 2019 further estimated that a 58 lakh cusec flood would inundate Odisha. The reservoir level of 232.28 feet will sink,” it said.
How did the project begin?
The Polavaram Irrigation Project on the Godavari River was conceived as part of the recommendations of the Godavari Water Disputes Tribunal (GWDT). Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha signed an agreement on April 2, 1980, where the project was to be implemented by Andhra Pradesh. According to the Andhra Pradesh State Reorganization Act (APRA), 2014, the Polavaram Irrigation Project was declared as a national project.
In response to an RTI query, the Jal Shakti Ministry said the maximum height of the Polavaram project’s concrete dam, measured from the deepest foundation level (-18.50 m) to the top of the bridge. The initial project cost was ₹ 10,151.04 crore in 2005-06 which rose to ₹ 55,548.87 crore in 2019.
What’s the concern?
Although there is no comprehensive study on possible inundation from backwaters in Malkangiri district due to the Polavaram project, the Odisha state government submitted to the NCST in 2016 that the project will submerge 7,656 hectares of land, including forests, displacing more than 6,800 people including 5,916 tribes in Malkangiri.
According to the Water Resources Department of Andhra Pradesh, the Ministry of Jal Shakti has provided remedial measures such as construction of 30 km long safety embankments along the Sileru and Sabri rivers in Odisha and 29.12 km along the Sabri river in Chhattisgarh. In both Odisha and Chhattisgarh the submergence situation is completely avoidable. In August this year, the ministry asked the State Pollution Control Boards of Odisha and Chhattisgarh to hold public hearings for the construction of the protective embankment as the project is in an advanced stage of construction. The Odisha State Pollution Control Board is yet to hold a public hearing. The Odisha government had earlier expressed its reservations saying that this was not possible with a high protective embankment. “Construction of an embankment requires diversion of forest land and creates floods in Odisha region.”
published – December 16, 2024 at 08:30 PM IST